Home Sweet Home
Homecoming was exactly what it needed to be. It was a beautiful day that I enjoyed with my wife and daughter. It also having been the first game that my daughter has attended. She looked so cute in her RU cheerleader's uniform. What else would she be wearing?
At first I was a bit concerned with the attendance. At kickoff the stadium was only about half filled. I figured that a lot of the students and alumni wear waiting it out in the parking lot to see if the game was going to be a close one before deciding whether to make the trek inside. With a great party going on in seemingly every parking lot, I can't say I blame them.
In most cases a close game is a good game, although this one was frustrating at points. From my vantage point it seemed that RU should have gotten credit for at least one of the two safeties that weren't called. Yet I knew it was only going to be a matter of time before they got one.
With the exception of the big-play reception for the touchdown, the RU defense absolutely dominated the game. UConn really didn't move the ball very much and although their RB Brown went over 100 yards, it didn't really seem like he was even having a decent game.
The crowd has obviously lost patience with Mike Teel. And I have to admit that I was excited to see Dom Natale check into the game. But Teel's struggles on Saturday are hard to pin point. Sure, he misfired on a few passes, but there were also a handful of catchable balls that the receivers either dropped or tipped. Also, as has been the case all year, he struggled in the red zone but threw the ball well between the 20s. What I'd like to see happen with the QB position is for Schiano to start Teel against Pittsburgh on Saturday. Then make a determination at half time as to whether they are scoring or threatening enough. If we have less than 10 points at the half I believe you need to try Natale in the second half. Similarly, if RU loses the game I think it's time to start developing the next QB, whether that means starting Natale or Chris Paul-Etienne or letting one of them play a half or a quarter in every game from here until the end of the season. The exception being the last home game. Regardless of the team's record or the QB situation at that point, I believe Teel should start the last home game of his career.
Back to the game itself...I don't think the importance of this victory can be overstated. First of all, it was nice to get some revenge on UConn after last week's game. The Huskies are a recruiting rival and every win against them is important. And of course the game was important as far as building momentum to have a decent finish to this season. Plus, the RU fans have to deal with UConn beating us in men's and women's basketball in most cases, so it's nice to have something to throw back at the Husky fans.
Congrats to Teddy Dellaganna on being named Big East Special Teams Player of the Week. It's been a few years since we've seen a punting performance of that caliber.
And the same goes to Ryan D'Imperio for his standout game on defense. He was a best out there and there was no doubt he would be named Defensive Player of the Week.
And finally a thank you to the Rutgers Stadium security for tossing the four Asian kids wearing UConn garb from the student section. Those jackholes were originally up in the 200s near me and then worked their way down. Although it may have been nice to see them eventually get their butts kicked by the RU students, security moved in and removed the threat and them from the building. Hope they enjoyed hanging out in the visitors section of the parking lot for the next three hours!
At first I was a bit concerned with the attendance. At kickoff the stadium was only about half filled. I figured that a lot of the students and alumni wear waiting it out in the parking lot to see if the game was going to be a close one before deciding whether to make the trek inside. With a great party going on in seemingly every parking lot, I can't say I blame them.
In most cases a close game is a good game, although this one was frustrating at points. From my vantage point it seemed that RU should have gotten credit for at least one of the two safeties that weren't called. Yet I knew it was only going to be a matter of time before they got one.
With the exception of the big-play reception for the touchdown, the RU defense absolutely dominated the game. UConn really didn't move the ball very much and although their RB Brown went over 100 yards, it didn't really seem like he was even having a decent game.
The crowd has obviously lost patience with Mike Teel. And I have to admit that I was excited to see Dom Natale check into the game. But Teel's struggles on Saturday are hard to pin point. Sure, he misfired on a few passes, but there were also a handful of catchable balls that the receivers either dropped or tipped. Also, as has been the case all year, he struggled in the red zone but threw the ball well between the 20s. What I'd like to see happen with the QB position is for Schiano to start Teel against Pittsburgh on Saturday. Then make a determination at half time as to whether they are scoring or threatening enough. If we have less than 10 points at the half I believe you need to try Natale in the second half. Similarly, if RU loses the game I think it's time to start developing the next QB, whether that means starting Natale or Chris Paul-Etienne or letting one of them play a half or a quarter in every game from here until the end of the season. The exception being the last home game. Regardless of the team's record or the QB situation at that point, I believe Teel should start the last home game of his career.
Back to the game itself...I don't think the importance of this victory can be overstated. First of all, it was nice to get some revenge on UConn after last week's game. The Huskies are a recruiting rival and every win against them is important. And of course the game was important as far as building momentum to have a decent finish to this season. Plus, the RU fans have to deal with UConn beating us in men's and women's basketball in most cases, so it's nice to have something to throw back at the Husky fans.
Congrats to Teddy Dellaganna on being named Big East Special Teams Player of the Week. It's been a few years since we've seen a punting performance of that caliber.
And the same goes to Ryan D'Imperio for his standout game on defense. He was a best out there and there was no doubt he would be named Defensive Player of the Week.
And finally a thank you to the Rutgers Stadium security for tossing the four Asian kids wearing UConn garb from the student section. Those jackholes were originally up in the 200s near me and then worked their way down. Although it may have been nice to see them eventually get their butts kicked by the RU students, security moved in and removed the threat and them from the building. Hope they enjoyed hanging out in the visitors section of the parking lot for the next three hours!
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